In the wake of the earthquake and resultant tsunami that struck Japan on March 11, 2011, twenty-six North American Jewish organizations have come together to form the Jewish Coalition for Japan Relief. This Coalition is serving as a coordinating body for its member agencies and sharing information about needs on the ground.

In the first phase of emergency response the Coalition's response efforts included:

- Commissioning a bakery in the Sendai region through the Chabad of Asia to bake and deliver over 30,000 loaves of bread to victims living in shelters

- Responding to the emergency needs of those living in evacuation centers in partnership with the International Rescue Committee and Direct Relief by supplying food, water, fuel and other non-food items to over 200,000 survivors

- Sponsoring a mobile grocery shop with Mercy Corps which travelled to different shelters and aided those who lost their means of transportation during the disaster

- Partnering with the International Medical Corps to provide psychosocial disaster response training to nearly 200 social workers and first responders in Japan

Fresh baked bread ready for distribution

The Coalition has partnered with two leading Japanese NGO's for its longer term response:

-JEN to provide support for victims in Ishinomaki city by establishing Community Café and Rehabilitation Centers where victims can go and partake in exercise classes, access internet, and receive psychological support. Nearly 4,000 people have visited the shelter during the 5 month pilot period and the Coalition is supporting the expansion of the program to other cities through 2012

- The Nippon Foundation, which focuses on vulnerable populations, is working with the Coalition to provide psycho-social support for victims who are deaf or hard of hearing.